Amazon to launch $8.99/month Prime Video option in war on Netflix

Amazon Prime is taking on Netflix and the rest of its streaming competition with the option to pay on a monthly basis instead of paying a $99 yearly fee upfront. This new offer isn’t a very good deal in the long run, but that may not stop some people from signing up for short term savings.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon will soon charge $8.99 per month for its Instant Video streaming service without any of the other Prime benefits (like free two-day shipping and Prime Music). That new price also happens to be a dollar less than Netflix’s cheapest option. If you want that full version of Prime, it will cost you $10.99 per month.

If you plan to subscribe for a full year, this new offer isn’t that great. The streaming-only version adds up to $107.88, while the full monthly Prime service will cost $131.88 per year. If you’re interested in the perks of Prime and enjoy the streaming options, you should just pay $99 for the whole year.

The one main benefit of this monthly subscription is that you can turn it on or off whenever you want. So, if you need to order a bunch of presents for the holidays, or you just want to check out the latest season of Mozart in the Jungle, you’ll only have to pay for a month of service to do it.